Hardeep spoke to Delhi's Urban development minister Lovely just minutes before he was shot

Police investigations into the high-profile shooting of liquor king Ponty Chadha and his brother Hardeep Chadha appear to confirm what is talked about in private: that Hardeep had a close relationship with at least two ministers in the Sheila Dikshit cabinet.

Highly placed police sources said this is evident from the call records, accessed by Mail Today, of Delhi's urban development minister Arvinder Singh Lovely and power minister Haroon Yusuf.

Lovely and Yusuf kept in close touch with Hardeep, particularly Lovely, who talked to Hardeep and exchanged text messages almost every day.

Sources said between November 1 and November 17, the day the brothers fought bitterly leading to the fatal shootout, Lovely and Hardeep talked to each other 59 times.

On some days there were even five to six calls. For instance, on November 2, they talked to each other six times.

On November 3 and 16, there were five calls each between the duo.

On the fateful day, Lovely appears to have spoken to Hardeep just minutes before the businessman was shot.

Lovely called Hardeep at 12.33 pm and the conversation lasted 97 seconds.

Hardeep was also in touch with the Delhi government's power minister Yusuf.

Yusuf and Hardeep made 54 calls to each other from May 1 to November 17.

Police sources said there appears to be a triangular relationship between Lovely, Yusuf and Hardeep.